Athrun's moment
by LouDaCryx
Summary: A group of unknown mercenaries attack ORB for a vague motive, the interesting bit is that ORB can't seem to stop them, and surprisingly the mercs are using low class mobile suits...
1. Provocation

A/N: Okay, been lurkin' in this website for quite a while. I've been impressed by the many talents that grace this awesome site, so much so that I decided to give fiction writing a try. This is a trial first fic. You may notice some inaccuracy as the story progresses. Please message me if you have some info that I could use. I hope I'm not breaking any rules. Please read and review. Shoutout goes to Faytful, a personal friend of mine.

* * *

Athrun Zala woke up at quarter past 7. Still groggy, he grabbed the blanket and shoved it off himself. It surprised him a little to find that Cagalli was under the blanket, serenely sleeping. He vaguely remembered what they had been up to the night before…

He stopped for a moment, admiring the lovely lady beside him. Cagalli Yula Atha was a beautiful blonde with a well developed body, it occurred to him that he had known her since she was still a budding teenager. Now, she had become a woman, a far cry from when she was an annoying brat. His heart suddenly felt overloaded with love for her, he reached out with his hand and brushed aside strands of hair from her brow. She woke up from that gesture, her eyes opened prettily, she blinked a couple of times.

"Athrun..?" she was slowly sitting up from bed, clutching a portion of the blanket over her bare body.

He remembered now what had happened.

In the days leading to the present, ORB had experienced attack after attack from an unknown group of mercenaries. These attacks were meticulously planned and executed, hinting that these mobile suit pilots had an experienced commander. Although most of these bandits piloted minor suits that would suit low class militia, they were excellent in mobility and it appeared that their piloting skills were top notch. It was not clear what their motives were in attacking ORB. In the days that followed, the supposed leader of the group made a private transmission to the ORB princess herself.

- xxxxXxxXxxxx -

_16:32 hours,__ three days into the conflict,__Cagalli's__ private quarters, ORB_

Cagalli frowned, sitting before her communications console, trying to recall anybody or any faction that she or ORB may have wronged in the past. She came up blank, all previous conflicts had been resolved thanks to the efforts of Athrun, Kira, and Lacus. She started wondering what became of her acquaintances when the console chimed, indicating an incoming transmission.

"Have I reached the personal comlink of the princess of orb?" a man, approximately middle aged, appeared in the visual.

"What?! Who is this?! How did you get my private communications channel?!" Cagalli flushed, angry at the arrogance of the man.

"That is of no importance princess. If you wish for us to stop attacking your precious ORB, I believe that we can work something out. A deal, in layman's terms…"

"I make no deals with rogue pilots and their arrogant leader." Cagalli was standing now, her hands closed tightly into fists.

"You hardly have any other options, princess. Have you not noticed that every effort your defense force made to repel us has been easily thwarted by my pilots? True, they may be using substandard gear at best, but it's the pilots that matter, and I assure you, they are well trained. So unless you agree to my terms, I'll have my pilots destroy the capital, which you may have noticed, has been left untouched by us."

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" she was flustered now, blisters were visible in her clenched fists.

"Send Athrun Zala to me, alone, in his best mobile suit. I'd like to test my pilots against a successful war veteran."

It took a few moments for the words to sink in. Athrun would never agree to such a thing. He had left his scarred past behind.

"I'm afraid that cannot be arranged. I warn you, if you continue this pointless fighting, I will do anything within my power to bring you down." Cagalli was starting to calm down now, she sat down on her chair.

"Such meaningless words, princess. It will take more than that to dissuade me. Athrun Zala, alone, or you'll have to say goodbye to the capital by next light."

"Wait—"

He had disconnected. She was in a jam now.


	2. Superior Intellect

A/N: Thank you guys, for the positive reviews! In this chapter, we introduce some new characters. This time the chapter is slightly longer, if I had more time to write, it could've been even longer. Shoutout goes to my bro for helping me with the details and giving me some interesting ideas for the story, we make a good team. Anyway, enjoy, and don't forget to r&r.

* * *

It is an incredible experience. 

Jeethra Constent, a twenty year old female pilot is sitting before her console inside one of the modified mobile suits of the mercenary brigade. She had vivid green eyes, snow white hair, and a petite physique. She may have been small, but she was tough, all who knew her can attest to that. She would usually tie her hair into a ponytail when she's out of her mobile suit, other times she would just let her long hair flow down her back.

The controls were different compared to other standard suits, the modifications utilized direct brain interfacing. All pilots of the brigade were surgically implanted with BID's, Brain Interface Devices that would enable them to become completely one with their gear and all it's sensors, giving them unmatched mobile suit control. This would make genetically modified humans obsolete, since just about anyone can undergo the painless surgical implants and would be twice as effective as any coordinator.

Even in the vacuum of space, where she was now cruising in with her teammates, the system gave them better coordination and a heightened sense of things, like she was on a constant adrenaline high. For years, the development of the system was kept secret. Behind the scenes of the recent wars, a group of scientists and engineers observed, researched, and recorded the outcomes of all the battles that had ensued. Little did the pilots involved in the previous wars know that each and every mobile suit ever manufactured had a recording device, something similar to the black box of the 21st century, only many times more effective at recording every minute detail the suit and its pilot experienced.

The system had been perfected in the ending days of the most recent war, too late to be of any use to any of the warring factions. But there was a taker. He had been in the last war himself.

"Man, I love doing this!!" commented one of Jeethra's teammates,

"Don't we all? Look, we better head back to base. Practice run's over." Jeethra checked her gear's status and flicked a few switches with her gloved hand.

"Damn it, why can't we just blast those snot-nosed ORB fools now? I feel like I can take 'em all myself!" it was Kelmon Denker, her second in command. He was in service long before Jeethra, he had intense brown eyes and had his black hair tied in a mullet.

"Do you want to be a fool and get yourself killed, or do you want to live to fight another day? We'll be going up against an experienced mobile suit pilot, you all probably know him. Athrun Zala has had more kills than any of you idiots put together, so we cannot chance loosing even one of you losers, it might put us at a disadvantage." Jeethra spoke in her 'tough girl' tone, nobody would mess with her when she spoke like that.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but I can't help but be excited. This system makes the old one look like a stinkin' pile of crap."

"I second that. Ok grunts, check mobile suit status and report in."

Each and every one of her five man team reported condition green. They headed back to their mobile base, The Indomitable.

- xxxxXxxXxxxx -

The commander sat behind his desk, a mug of streaming coffee in one hand. He had just finished his transmission with the ORB princess. In the times when more 'appealing' drinks were available, he would still prefer drinks of the 21st century. Call him old fashion, sure, but it didn't matter what you ate or drank so long as it didn't hamper your performance. Although the coffee he drank was synthetically produced, it was as close as anyone could get in tasting one of the many pleasures of the old century. He read the label of the coffee packet, the contents of which he had just mixed into his hot water:

_Columbian Coffee, with real coffee taste! Enjoy the rich aroma savored and loved in the 21__st__ century!_

Ironic. The coffee bean plant species had been extinct for over a millennia. Most organic foods where either cloned or were synthetics, but he wasn't one to complain, as long as he had something to eat and drink.

"Sir, permission to come in, sir!" a muffled voice said outside his office door.

"Come in." the commander touched a spot on a panel built into his desk. The door slid open.

"Here are the reports you wanted, sir." The officer handed him a couple of pages of paper. The network system was down due to maintenance, they had to make do with print on paper.

"Okay. These results are in our favor. Good work. Dismissed."

"Thank you sir."

The officer left.

The commander could be mistaken to be as old as 50, but in truth, he was still 33. He was a clone. A defective clone. Of course, no one knew about him being a clone except a handful of people. Somehow, during the cloning process, something went wrong, so what happened was he aged faster than normal people. But there was a good side, although he aged quickly, he could accumulate knowledge and experience faster than anyone else. He most often kept to himself. People avoided him, but that was fine with him. He was present during the last war as one of the unrecognized pilots, he even fought alongside Kira Yamato during the climax of the war at one point. He had looked younger then, similar to Kira. Now he had thinning grey hair, but his grey eyes still burn with a passion.

His name is Emryn Apstone, commander of The Indomitable, and he is out to leave behind a legendary legacy.


	3. It begins

A/N: Okay, chapter 3 is up! Longer in comparison to the preceding chapters. R&R or die! j/k

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He was not one to believe in the sixth sense, or ESP or whatever terms they use referring to extraordinary human abilities, but for some reason, he felt like something was coming up, no, more like KNEW that something was very wrong. It was a gut feeling; he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Athrun had been away from ORB for two weeks, ordered by the ORB administration to lend a hand to the newly established colony, on a yearly basis. After the dream, the feeling, or premonition if you prefer, gained strength, it urged him to go back ASAP. 

He sat before Kira and Lacus, a tea pot and three empty cups were on the table. They were outside Kira's house, which was built on a newly colonized Earth-like planet named ISIS-001. It was late in the afternoon.

"…man, it's just that.. Well, I don't know, maybe, just MAYBE, something's wrong. My mind can't be at ease until I get back to ORB and see for myself." Athrun was saying,

He had stayed with the couple for two days already. Just the night before, the damning feeling that something was wrong back at ORB struck him full force. He had woken up, sweating heavily. He was never able to sleep again for the remainder of the night. In his dream, he had returned to ORB, finding it in ruins, and the first thought that came into his mind at that point was to find Cagalli. He found her face down amidst the remnants of ruined buildings. He turned her over, relieved to find that she was still alive. "…tried to stop them… but I--" she was struggling to form words with her mouth.

"Don't talk. Save your strength." Athrun's heart bled, tears were falling freely from his green eyes, how could he have let this happen? Cagalli coughed out blood, staining Athrun's chest bright red. "No.." he found himself saying, his lips trembled with fear.

"…couldn't…stop them.." and with that she expired, her hazel eyes stared upwards at the sky, uncaring. He had cried then. Not just cried, he bawled. In his entire life, he never felt despair as great as this. It was at this point that he woke up, shocked and relieved at the same time. But what kept him awake after the dream was the fact that it was so vivid, as if it had just actually happened. He told Kira and Lacus all about it.

"If it bothers you that much, why not leave now? It's fine Athrun." Kira replied, straight faced.

"Yes. Athrun, please go back. We don't mind. I'll tell the kids about it, don't worry, they'll understand." Lacus leaned forward and propped her arms on the table, looking concerned.

"…and to think I just got here to catch up with you guys… I'm sorry for being rude, dropping by and then suddenly wanting to leave like this…" Athrun looked at Kira,

"Kira, there's no point for me in telling you this, but just the same—"

"Go ahead. I'm listening." Kira clasped his hands together in front of him.

"Take care of Lacus." Athrun still felt some admiration for his former betrothed.

Lacus took hold of Athrun's hand.

"Oh Athrun, you still worry too much. He'll always take care of me, it goes without saying. And before you say it, yes, I'll take care of him too." She let go of his hand. Kira touched her shoulder affectionately, Lacus flushed.

"Thank you. I'll be leaving for ORB tonight. Maybe I ought to talk to the kids before I go…" Athrun said, avoiding their gaze.

"We'll do that for you, YOU go get your things ready. I'll inform the crew about your departure." Kira stood up, took his phone from his pocket and placed a call.

Athrun had been visiting the couple every year when his usual duties for the ORB administration were concluded on the colony. He always stayed with them for a few days.

Kira and Lacus had been married for four years. Theirs was a quiet, content life, far from what Athrun was going through. He had considered tying the knot with Cagalli, but seeing as she was still the princess of ORB, having one too many responsibilities to attend to, he thought otherwise.

And he had his doubts. What would happen if their married life intervened with her duties?

Lydrean and Kaelie were playing on the grass not far from the table they sat in. Aged four and three, the boy and the girl had notable similarities with their parents. Lydrean, or, Lyddie as he was known, had Lacus' eyes, and Kira's hair, while Kaelie looked almost like her mother, the only difference being that her hair was kept short and made up in a trendy hairstyle.

Athrun watched the kids play, his emotions betrayed him at that moment, and a teardrop fell from his face. He shut his eyes for a moment, hiding his tears. After a while, he stood up, Lacus followed suit.

"I'll get going then." Athrun said,

"I'll help you pack your things." Lacus walked besides Athrun as they went inside the house.

Kira had just informed the colonial space port about Athrun's departure. He pocketed his cellular phone and watched Athrun and Lacus make their way into the house. He felt a gentle tug on his shirt, it was Lydrean.

"Daddy, can uncle Affwoon play with us?" he pronounced uncle 'unca',

"Not today, Lyddie. He's going away because of something important." He ruffled his son's hair.

"But will he be coming back daddy?"

"Sure. There's no doubt. Call your sister will you champ? We'll be having dinner soon."

"Okay daddy."

Kira had seen that Athrun was serious. He knew his friend wouldn't joke around about something such as this. It worried him.

_It was four hours after Commander __Apstone__ finished talking to __Cagalli__. By the time __Athrun__was well on his way __back __to__ ORB, the attack would begin in less than thirty minutes._

- xxxxXxxXxxxx -

"Sir! I'm reading three groups of five mobile suits entering ORB territory!!!" a crewman was frantically flipping switches and pressing buttons on his radar console.

"The mercenary bandits are making their move. Inform HQ on the double!" Captain Lenard of the naval guard was in disbelief. It looked like the mercs weren't kidding when they said they'd attack the capital. And now they were attacking the blind side of the ORB defense plan, by sea.

"Prepare for immediate assault! Ready the anti-air cannons!"

"Aye sir!"

If what he heard was true about the mercenaries' calibre, then they were almost certainly fighting a losing battle. But the captain was not one to back down on his duties; he would go down with his crew if it ever came to that.

Inside one of the mercenary mobile suits, Jeethra Constent smiled; it was time again to kick butt. She and her teammates take the lead. They were going to do it by the book.

Assault 101, easy.

"Alpha squad, pincer formation. Beta and Gamma squad, spread out and cover our flanks. Let's do this clean, grunts."

The mercs fall into formation, and the attack begins. The navy ships were the first ones to open fire, but the mercs easily dodged the volley. The ORB opposition didn't know it, but the mercenary brigade had information on all ORB weapons, so they knew how long a certain firearm can fire again after shooting. They could easily time their dodges based on the information they had meticulously studied. Even guided missiles had weaknesses, they simply cannot turn fast enough to track targets effectively, this info the mercs took into account also. The way the mercs dodged attacks looked like an arial ballet, precise and well executed.

"Is this all ORB can throw at us?! How pathetic!" Kelmon chuckled heartily,

"Stay focused. We're not done yet—" Jeethra dodged a laser attack by inches,

"They're launching mobile suits now. Beta squad, take out the other ships before they have time to do the same."

"Roger." Beta squad was headed by a redhead named John Akly, he was an old but capable man at forty eight.

"Beta squad, regroup. Single missile volley on my target coordinates, stand by and fire on my command—" Akly expertly manoeuvred his targeting cursor onto the ship's heavily armoured bridge. There was a weak spot on the hull of the bridge, just below the roof. He was targeting Captain Lenard's ship.

"Fire." Beta squad fired.

"No—" It was the last thing Captain Lenard said before a bright light engulfed him and his crew.

- xxxxXxxXxxxx -

Cagalli's personal aide broke into the room panting.

"Princess! The mercenaries! They've broken through the naval defense!"

"No..! DAMN IT!!!" Cagalli slammed her fists hard on her desk. She felt angry and scared at the same time. These mercenaries weren't joking around, they were serious.

As if on cue, her communications console chimed.

"Where is Athrun Zala? I thought I made my demand clear." Commander Apstone looked grimly at Cagalli from the visual.

"I told you! It can't be arranged—"

"Well then, looks like you've made your choice. I won't hold back princess Cagalli. At this rate, my elite squads will reach the capital within the hour. That's all the time you have left if you change your mind."

'No...', she thought to herself. Athrun had done more than enough to restore peace and order. He had been forced to take innocent lives against his will. He had endured too much. She'll be the one to handle this. She faced the visual, her face set.

"Do your worst. But I will stop you."

"Do you really think—"

Cagalli ended the transmission.

"Have all available mobile suits, artillery, and assault vehicles defend the capital." She told her aide,

"And have the Akatsuki prepped."

"Yes ma'am!" the aide hustled to his orders.

Cagalli didn't really think she'd need to pilot her father's legacy again, but ORB was in need of her strength.

_A__nd they shall have it._


	4. Impending Rescue

A/N: Chapter four! Have I come this far already?! Well, as usual please r & r when you're done. There are some details here that I'm kind of doubtful about their accuracy, so please, feel free to point them out to me. I'm very reachable. Shoutout goes to Teca No Shinju for pointing out some facts that I must've missed, thanks dude! Now, go read the read the rest of the chapter!

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"It's no good sir. We can't reach them. Their towers must be down." 

"'the hell are doing there?! It's been days, DAYS, and not a single word..!"

"I know sir. Last transmission was four days ago. Do you think something happened?"

"It's unlikely. There hasn't been any heat these days. War's over after all. There's no point in starting another one."

"But what if something DID happen, sir? Should we alert the higher ups about this?"

"Not until we find out what's going on. We better send some of our people there to check and see what the hell they've been up to."

"I agree sir."

Two ZAFT officers have been attempting to establish contact with the ORB faction without success. There was a possibility of the transmission signal being disrupted somehow, but there was also the possibility that ORB was in trouble. Other factions also have tried contacting ORB to no avail.

ORB's connection with the rest of humanity has been severed. They were effectively isolated. The mercenaries have done a good job at weakening ORB's ability to fight back, and the ability to call for help. Every incoming and outgoing transmission had been jammed from day one of the conflict. They were trapped, like a cornered animal.

The fate of ORB seemed certain.

-xxxxXxxXxxxx-

"Damn it Jenks, where's that meal packet?! I'm starving here!" exclaimed Ernie,

"Can it Ernie, I'm heating them up." Jenks threw in two meal packets inside their standard issue oven.

Tempers were rising, it was a slow day. On top of it all, they had a horrible hangover from the previous night's alcohol binge. Ernie and Jenks had worked for the colony of ISIS-001 for six years and counting, they were there as the colony was just being built, but it wasn't as pleasant as the ads had said. They had jumped at the chance at having an exciting job opportunity back on Earth. But within a few months of working at the 'pits', the word they used when referring to the colony, boredom quickly set in. Everyday was pretty much the same. And to add to the misery, usual forms of entertainment were very limited, after all, the colony was fairly new.

"Okay, here they are. Eat up while it's still hot." Jenks said, handing Ernie a meal packet.

"Great, my favorite, mashed crap." Ernie's sarcasm was evident. It tasted bland, but they were supposed to be a balanced meal, containing all essential nutrients, fiber, and protein to sustain good health. Yeah, good health, at the price of good flavor and appeal. Whenever Ernie ate one, he felt like puking. There were hardly any other rations around, some where available at a very hefty price, and he just couldn't possibly afford to buy even just one decent meal.

Back on Earth, they had worked as communications officers of the Alliance. Their work mostly consisted of monitoring transmissions, doing some minor maintenance here and there, nothing fancy. When they heard about a high paying job off planet, they had jumped at the chance. Sure the pay was okay, but at a miserable price. They were forced to endure boredom and apathetic co-workers on a daily basis. It was driving them nuts. At least they had been able to avoid being dragged into the previous war. That was something.

"Hey, you seen that Zala guy?" Ernie said, he grimaced as he took a bite of his meal.

"Sure, couple of days ago. Weird guy huh? Does his job then goes over to those two in the residential sector. Stays for days."

"Who the hell do you suppose he is? Authorities seem to be treating him and the Yamato's like they were royalty or something."

"Heck, they probably are. Big deal. Comes around every year, seemed to have military training of some sort, he even advises the head of security, not that I care. There's hardly been any crime here, people are either too tired or too bored to do anything against the law anyway."

-Bleep!-

They both turned to face the large console which took up most of the space in the room.

"(static) … merce… (static) under attack!...repeat…"

"Hey man, tune into that will ya? It could be important." Ernie lacked the experience when it came to tuning in to muddled transmissions. Jenks deftly adjusted a few knobs and pressed some buttons. The visual was still covered in static, but the sound was comprehensible. The screen showed a panic stricken face.

"…I repeat, mercenaries are attacking ORB. Requesting immediate assistance!"

By some stroke of luck, the transmission somehow reached the far reaches of space, despite heavy jamming.

Ernie and Jenks' jaws dropped. What was left of their boredom was completely evaporated.

-xxxxXxxXxxxx-

Athrun's premonition was right, fighting had erupted in ORB. It seemed that after all their hard work to end the war, yet another fool starts another one. This has got to stop.

After hearing the news on ORB, Kira wasted no time in getting himself ready to leave. Lacus had been reluctant, saying that he had already done his part years ago, that it wasn't his responsibility anymore, and besides, what about the children?

"Lacus, don't drag the children into this matter. If wars keep happening, then there will be no hope for humanity. I can't rest easy, I have to do something about it."

It was just the two of them in their room. The children were asleep in the room next to their's, it was very late into the night. Kira had been packing his things, his back was to Lacus. They had been arguing for the last thirty minutes, Lacus was getting teary eyed.

"Your so noble…" Lacus was sobbing,

"But you don't have to do this anymore!! It's over!! We have a family!! Please, don't go!"

"Lacus.." Kira was taken aback, he stopped packing.

"Please..! Please just…just stay!!" tears were streaming down Lacus' pretty face.

"Then what about Cagalli? I can't just leave her and ORB, I just can't stand by and watch while my sister is in mortal danger! You know better!" Kira resumed putting things into his travel bag.

"Let Athrun take care of it! Please! Every time you go out to fight, every time you risk your life, I get scared, scared that you might not come back..!! I--!"

"Athrun might not be able to handle it alone. Too many lives are at stake again. I'm going, Lacus."

"Why do you have to be like this..?! Please.." Lacus rushed over to him and hugged him from behind. Kira felt her warm tears moisten his clothes. Suddenly, he was having second thoughts.

"I have to go. We've been through this before, you know I always come back, because I have you to come back to."

Lacus stopped sobbing, what he said hit her. It was true that he had close calls in the past, but he always came back. Kira turned around. Lacus let go of him.

"Just this one more time. Let me go, please. I swear, this will be the last." Kira couldn't bear the sorrow that was on Lacus' face. She looked away and didn't say anything. He didn't like that. He hugged her tight and kissed her. Action spoke louder than words after all. But as he let go, she held him back.

"Make love to me." Lacus whispered as a fresh stream of tears fell down from her eyes.

"Lacus I don't--"

But she was already kissing him again, her hands shakily unbuttoning his top…

-xxxxXxxXxxxx-

They were approaching ORB. The private shuttle Athrun was in was already slowing down to landing speed, but at the last moment, the shuttle turned.

"What in the..!" Athrun quickly moved to the cockpit.

"I'm sorry sir, but ORB's flight tower isn't responding to my calls. It's not wise to proceed." The pilot said.

So, something did happen.

"What's the situation?"

"I don't know, sir, but it doesn't sound good. I've been trying to reach them for hours. We'll be landing instead on one of the outer islands. There's an old landing strip there."

What's going on?! Athrun's pulse quickened. He started to sweat, he hoped that Cagalli was still safe. He paled as he recalled the incident in his dream.

"Not if I can help it..."

"Sir?"

"Nothing. Can you get us to these coordinates instead?" he enumerated the numbers that he knew by heart.

"But that'll take us into the middle of the sea!"

"Just do it."

Within an hour, the shuttle reached the coordinates. They were hovering above a tiny island not far from ORB.

"That island's not even registered in the geological map! What's going on?" the pilot looked surprised.

"Don't ask questions. Take us in." Athrun took out a small device that fit onto his palm, he pressed a series of buttons. The island below split apart, revealing a huge entrance.

"Holy…!"

"You never saw this, is that clear?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

It was an underwater hangar. It was hidden for a reason, it harbored two of the mightiest mobile suits every built.

-xxxxXxxXxxxx-

Jeethra was getting annoyed. Though they had managed to destroy the initial defenders, they couldn't seem to shoot down that golden mobile suit. The commander hadn't told them about such a suit. It was very maneuverable, and had superior firepower. They were outmatched.

Cagalli's face appeared on all the mercenaries' visuals.

"Retreat now, or I will be forced to destroy all of you!"

It was the princess of ORB herself! If Jeethra and her team could just capture her…

"I won't ask again. Retreat now!"

"Princess Cagalli, this is Jeethra Constent of the mercenary brigade. Our orders are to lure out Athrun Zala, and we will not stop until he shows up."

What the mercenary said to Cagalli infuriated her.

(Fine, if that's what they want..!)

Cagalli was panting and sweating heavily, they had been fighting for an extended period of time. A mercenary behind her took a potshot at her, but it had no effect because of the Akatsuki's reflective armor. They were hovering above the city, their fighting at a stalemate. Her eyes appeared blank, but she was in an intense state of concentration, she had been in this state for twenty minutes already, the strain was starting to take its toll. If this wasn't resolved soon, they might take advantage of her fatigue. She had managed to take down seven of them, but the last remaining mercenaries proved to be skillful.

"Very well then. Prepare yourselves!" Cagalli took out Akastuki's beam naginata and shield. She accelerated towards Jeethra's mobile suit, raising the naginata high for a heavy downward strike.

Jeethra managed to block the strike with her own shield, but it took most of her mobile suit's energy. The blow was powerful enough to cause a huge crack on her suit's arm. Another strike like that and the arm might come off. It looked like they were in trouble, they couldn't harm the Akatsuki with conventional beam weapons, it would be reflected back at them. Their best bet was to take a more direct approach. She shoved against the Akatsuki and kicked out with her mobile suit's leg.

Cagalli pushed aside the leg strike aside and thrust her naginata forward, but missed. Jeethra was already retreating backwards. It looked like the mercenaries' goose was cooked, unless…

"All remaining units! Strategy code 0-7-1-5-6, get in position!"

It was the brigade's trump card, a complex maneuver that always guaranteed a kill.


	5. Deception

A/N: Right, chapter 5 is up for reading! This time, this chapter was done solo, my bro was unavailable until the last part, so most of it was my idea. Go ahead and r & r!

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War is all about deception.

If Jeethra learned anything during all her years as a mercenary, it was this. It didn't matter whether you had superior reaction time, had better equipment, or even have more numbers, if you were good at deception, victory was assured. Even if the odds were against you, at least you could get by to fight another day.

For centuries, man always found reasons to kill his fellow man. The complexity of human nature and its culture machine made man act for reasons even he cannot understand. The reason to live has lost meaning for most; others find worthwhile goals to satisfy their minds. Living simple lives was a thing of the distant past. Jeethra's life was never simple, nor will it ever be anytime soon. She was a tool of war, and like a tool, she needed to be kept sharp to be of any good use.

The surgical implant procedure wasn't painful, but her training had been harsh. There were many times that she wished herself dead, but somehow, she made it. Commander Apstone was a terrible slave driver, but he could also be a loving foster father. She was an orphan, her parents, killed in action in the last war. The commander took her in for his own. She was only thirteen. From that time on, military knowledge, conduct, and training had been pounded into her mind and body. Even now as she is confronting what could be her greatest challenge yet, her training put her under control and helped her think straight.

Strategy code 0-7-1-5-6 was one of the many maneuvers her father devised. The concept behind code 0-7-1-5-6 was to divert the enemy's attention, then bait the enemy into doing something stupid, incredibly simple but brilliant. This way, regardless of how superior your opponent was, as long as you had numbers by your side, victory could still be attained. At the moment, they were able to bait the enemy into fighting in melee. That was step one. They were able to convince the princess that fighting in long range was futile. If they could keep her fighting this way, the strategy just might work…

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_These mercenaries are planning something_, thought Cagalli. It was fairly obvious. She had to be on her toes at all times if she was to win. She may have the upper hand, but she was still outnumbered. It would be wise to keep her distance, and attack one opponent at a time.

Two mercenaries were accelerating towards her. She brought up her shield and charged. She rammed one mercenary and swung her beam naginata towards the other. The force of the charge pushed one of them far enough so she could concentrate on the other. But to her surprise, instead of engaging her, the mercs pulled back and retreated. Each time she would attack, they would do the same. If this dragged on any longer, her fatigue might do her in. It was getting harder and harder as the fighting went on.

"The fish has taken the bait!" Kelmon cried out, they were already in position.

"Fire!"

Cagalli's console was sounding an alarm. Missiles were being fired at her. She quickly accelerated skywards and took out the Akatsuki's beam rifle. She shot at the missiles in a wide arc, they exploded.

"Hi!" Jeethra exclaimed cheerily.

She was flying towards the princess at top speed. They collided, the sound of hard metal against metal resounding for miles. As the shockwave settled, it looked like the two mobile suits were frozen in midair.

Jeethra's beam saber had been thrust right through the Akatsuki's midsection…

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Athrun heard it.

It was loud enough not to be ignored. It sounded like a huge collision, the sound of phase shift armor being hit hard. According to his radar, there were a handful of mobile suits directly in front of him within three miles. He would get there soon. He hoped against hope that he would be in time. He checked his suit's status, hoping that everything was still in working order. To his relief, everything returned a status green, despite being inactive for the last four years.

He was flying at maximum speed, the gleam of his suit's red armor reflecting rays of sunlight, the wind rushed past him at an incredible speed. He was determined to save Cagalli before anything would happen to her. It had been a very long time since he piloted a mobile suit, but his years of training never let him forget his prowess. The GUNDAM operating system in his console showed that he would be within range of the fighting in no less than a minute.

Unexpectedly, he remembered the last time he was with Cagalli, it was definitely an odd time to reminisce. She had looked beautiful and lovely, with the green designer gown she wore that night, her hair neatly combed, looking golden, like sunlight. She smiled easily that time, when everything was working out well. Athrun felt uncomfortable going to social gatherings, but Cagalli insisted he come, and he didn't regret it, occasions were indeed rare when he saw her looking her best. When the party was getting dull, Cagalli took his hand and led him to the balcony. They breathed in the fresh outside air.

"What is it Cagalli?" he looked at her, perplexed.

"It was getting crowded in there. Just wanted to stretch a bit." She extended her arms and stretched, stifling a yawn.

"You could've gone without me."

"Then it would be no fun." she smiled sweetly.

Athrun couldn't help but be amused at her subtle messages, maybe this is why he adored her. He knew very well why she brought him with her.

"I don't know what I'd do without you Athrun.." she said, slowly wrapping her arms around him.

"Same here. You look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you, you're so charming, as usual." She giggled.

Athrun tenderly touched her face, one arm held her around the waist. He felt like the world didn't matter as long as he had her. Cagalli flushed, she closed her eyes, her lips parted expectantly. They kissed, it was long and passionate.

He knew then, that he would do anything to protect her.

The constant bleeping of the radar brought him back to his senses. The screen showed that an encounter was imminent in a few seconds. His inherited seed ability kicked in, he would give hell to anybody who opposed him.

_A__nd the Infinite Justice would be more than enough to show them __who's__ boss._

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Commander Apstone's eyesight was getting blurry. He had been having a coughing fit, covering his mouth with his hand. Now as he looked at his open palm, a nasty spatter of blood, bright red, dripped slowly to his pants. He didn't have much time. The last he looked at himself in the mirror, a frail old man frowned back at him. His accelerated aging was starting to kill him. He could've sworn liver spots formed all over his body overnight. Whatever medications his doctors prescribed no longer worked, he was already nearing his limit. He figured that he had roughly a month to live, it was time to speed up his efforts.

Unknown to most, he had commissioned his engineers to design a mobile suit that was tactically superior to all others. The development had been rushed; he knew that he had a short time left to live, but the people working on the proposed suit were some of the best he had, he knew they wouldn't fail him.

Ever since he came to know that he had a serious disease plaguing him, he had been obsessed with leaving his mark. He worked hard, harder than most people. His attitude turned him into an overachiever, but he felt that it wasn't enough; the thought of an early death tormented him to no end. Eventually, accepting that his affliction was irreversible, he comforted himself by setting a goal of leaving behind something so significant that no man will ever forget that he was alive. He was going to be the best at whatever he did, he wanted to be an enduring legend.

As soon as the development of the mobile suit reached near completion, he was asked to christen it. It was the first of its kind. At the base's restricted hangar section, he looked at the suit's impressive build; it looked menacing and powerful at the same time with its red glowing eyes, its jet black advanced phase shift armor absorbed all light, making it blend easily with darkness. It had a streamlined look and feel to it, suggesting that speed was one of its strengths. Compared to the two revolutionary mobile suits that helped win the last bloody valentine war, the new mobile suit had less bulk, its weapons were not immediately obvious; they were carefully concealed within its armor.

He had decided. It was to be called MB-001, Enduring Legacy, the first and perhaps the last.

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Cagalli opened her eyes. She was surprised to find that she was still alive. It seems that, miracle upon miracle, the beam saber missed her by a few feet, but the damage to the Akatsuki was bad enough to paralyze all functions. As soon as Jeethra pulled away, the Akatsuki was already falling towards the Earth. Cagalli struggled with the controls, but it was no use, she had lost all control. She fumbled around for the ejector switch, then she braced herself for the g-force that would accompany the ejection. In a brief moment, she was flying through the air, leaving behind the Akatsuki as it plummeted to the city below.

As soon as she landed on solid ground, the Akatsuki had already fallen between two buildings, completely crushing the structures. It was a stroke of luck that it didn't explode, otherwise she'd have been toast. The city had been evacuated, good thing her militia had that much common sense. It was eerily quiet. She ran towards the closest intact building to find shelter, it was a small shop. Outside, she could hear a mobile suit landing somewhere nearby. It looked like they intended to take her hostage. She took out her pistol which she usually carried with her on missions. She was not going to make their job easy.

"Cagalli Yula Atha, Princess of ORB! Come out with your hands up, we don't want to hurt you!" Jeethra shouted, she had already dismounted her mobile suit.

Cagalli gripped her pistol tighter, she noticed how sweaty her palms had become. She peeked out the window, took aim and fired a shot at the mercenary.

"Ahh..!" Jeethra fell down, she had been hit on her thigh. The pain shot up to her head, sending wave after wave of agony. She crawled towards a low broken wall, tore a piece of her uniform and tied a tourniquet around her thigh. Another shot missed her head by inches, hitting the wall behind her instead. She swore loudly. She had been carrying with her a service rifle, she cocked it and fired a single salvo at where she thought the princess was.

Cagalli was hit twice, once on her right shoulder, another on her right arm. The pain was incredible, she screamed in agony as her hand dropped her only weapon. She hadn't been able to dodge in time, she couldn't possibly be able to fight back now. She was bleeding badly. Her vision blurry, she lumbered towards the wall nearest her and slumped down. Jeethra was already limping towards her.

"You're coming with me." Jeethra was smiling triumphantly. She trudged towards the helpless princess, her rifle aimed at Cagalli's head. As she got near enough, Jeethra swiftly hit the princess' head with the butt of her rifle.

Cagalli lost consciousness.


	6. Hostage situation

A/N: The long wait is over! Chapter 6 is up! R&R people! Isn't it annoying if we kept talking like this?!

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"Incoming mobile suit! It's the Infinite Justice!!!" one of the mercenaries shouted. 

Kelmon swore angrily. Everything was not going according to plan. Most of their armaments were already depleted, it would be idiotic to try and take out the Justice now.

"Jeethra! Do you read?! The Infinite Justice..!"

"Damn it! Why now?! Okay, try to keep him occupied. I've secured the princess, you guys cover my retreat."

"Easier said than done, Jeethra.."

"Just do what you can! After that, get back to base. Don't let him follow us, understand?!"

"Okay, got it..! We're in deep s--t now…"

Athrun saw that the Akatsuki had crashed onto the city below.

"Where's Cagalli?!" Athrun demanded furiously,

"We ain't talkin'. Our guns will answer for you." Kelmon ordered his remaining comrades to fire.

Athrun easily dodged all the laser beams. In a fit of rage, he threw the Justice's shield boomerang; it easily destroyed one of the mercenaries while the rest narrowly avoided its path of destruction.

Kelmon swallowed, he noticed that his throat was dry. His hands were shaking, how could they possibly hold this guy off? Jeethra had already taken off at maximum speed. It looked like Athrun noticed it, as he was already going after her.

Sacrifices would have to be made.

"Hey you! We're still here!" Kelmon fired his beam rifle at the Justice, but each time, Athrun easily evaded his shots. Kelmon gave chase.

John Akly, who had survived the Akatsuki fight, followed Kelmon.

"We're in a fix now."

"As if I didn't know… We gotta stall this guy!"

"I got it. Sobran, follow my lead." Akly ordered the remaining pilot. They accelerated towards the Infinite Justice. They overtook the Justice and fired simultaneously at it.

Athrun brought up his shield in time to block the attack. He took out the Justice's double saber and engaged them. He would have to make quick work with these annoyances.

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Kira looked around the hangar, the space besides the Strike Freedom was empty. It was obvious that Athrun had taken off with the Infinite Justice. It looked like fighting was necessary again. It was impossible to reach ORB to find out about the situation, their frequency was jammed. He mounted the elevator and got inside the Strike Freedom's cockpit. It was still in pristine condition. Back when the last war was concluded, he and Athrun had decided that the Strike Freedom and the Infinite Justice would remain here until they were needed again, and at that time, he had doubted that they ever would. Athrun was the one who decided the location of the underwater hangar, since he would be close enough to keep an eye on the machines as he was working for the ORB administration.

He put on his flight helmet and ran a diagnostic check on all the Freedom's components. There were no damaged parts. As he started it up, the variable phase shift armor activated, turning from a grey shade to its battle colors. He tested its mobility, took a few steps towards the exit and launched into the air. He executed the Freedom's tracking software to hunt for the Infinite Justice. The coordinates appeared within a space of a few seconds. The Justice was an hour away. He homed in on the coordinates.

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"He's coming for me! Damn you!! Ahhh..!!!"

Sobran was losing it. Athrun was godlike to him, whatever attack he tried, Athrun easily shrugged it off like it was nothing. He was getting careless, he knew it would get him killed, but at the moment, fear gripped his heart, and his mind failed to realize his folly.

Athrun saw his chance. The Infinite Justice was designed for close combat; they were playing in his turf. The other one was getting away, he knew that Cagalli was taken hostage. He would have to quickly take care of these nuisances. He swung one saber downward, aiming for the head. Sobran blocked. Athrun swung his other saber horizontally at the hips, Sobran was too preoccupied with blocking the first strike that he was left open at the midsection. Sobran's suit was cut in half, it exploded. Now there were just two of them left.

Kelmon and Akly could hear Sobran's last agonizing scream. The two knew that fighting Athrun now would be futile. Kelmon never expected to return to base at all, but he would put up a good fight. Akly had other thoughts.

"Kelmon."

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to try something. Make him chase you, distract him. I'll do the rest."

"Alright. It's all we got. Let's do this." Kelmon hardened his resolve. He flew towards Athrun and attacked. He swung his beam saber at the Justice again and again, but every time, Athrun either blocked or evaded the strikes. Then Kelmon turned around and retreated as fast as he could. The Infinite Justice easily caught up with him. Time seemed to slow down as he watched the Justice raise its saber high. But instead of feeling the heat of the beam saber, or the burning sensation of an explosion, nothing happened. He realized he had closed his eyes, he opened them to reveal that Akly's mobile suit had somehow managed to grapple the Infinite Justice from behind.

"I'm blowin' this baby. Get the hell outta here Kelmon!" and with that he initiated the self-destruct sequence. The explosion rocked Kelmon inside his cockpit, the force of the blast pushed him a good distance away. As the last of the shockwaves faded, Kelmon flew at top speed back to base. At least Jeethra had been able to get away. He prayed hard that the Justice wouldn't follow.

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In her mind's eye, Cagalli saw that a battle was raging. Although she couldn't exactly see what was going on, her hearing told her many things. She was still deeply unconscious, but she was still somewhat aware of what was transpiring around her. She realized that she was awkwardly lying down behind someone inside a mobile suit cockpit. She could hear the pilot in front of her frantically shouting orders, she could also smell the fear in the pilot's sweat. Somehow, Cagalli was glad that the pilot was scared. She felt pain on her forehead, arm and shoulder, but she couldn't remember what caused them. She could hear snatches of what was being said.

"…It's the Infinite Justice!"

Athrun. He has come back, her heart knew that he would. But how did he know? How could he have known that she was in trouble?

"…don't let him follow us! Understand?!"

Her heart was glad. She always knew that Athrun would come for her, whatever the circumstance, because she knew he loved her, and she loved him, for the man that he was.

"Where's Cagalli?!"

She could hear him. But try as she might, she couldn't voice out. She longed to call out to him, to tell him that she was here. Her heart reached out to him, but it was like grasping air, futile. Saddened that she couldn't do anything, she cried in her unconsciousness for what seemed like an eternity.

"What..?"

Jeethra had noticed that Cagalli was sobbing. She could see that the princess was crying in her sleep, tears were flowing down her face, it pooled on the cockpit floor. For a fleeting instant, she felt her pain, but she pushed that away and concentrated on getting back to base in one piece. John Akly had just sacrificed his life to give her and Kelmon a chance at fighting again, she was determined not to let that go to waste, and yet, she took pity on Cagalli. She turned on the auto-pilot, got up from her seat and tended to the princess' wounds. She managed to stop the bleeding. All the while, Cagalli was weeping.

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The explosion subsided. Athrun was disoriented, the force of the blast had rocked him hard inside his cockpit. He struggled to regain control of the Justice as it was freefalling. The engines had died. The city below was getting bigger and bigger. He tried to start the suit again, this time, the engines sputtered back to life, any second longer and he'd have crashed. They got away. He'd been a fool to fall for their desperate tactic. He was so close, now he would have to deal with a hostage situation. He wished that they wouldn't harm Cagalli, otherwise there would be hell to pay, he would make sure of it.

He couldn't begin to describe the ache that was going on in his heart. He had messed up his rescue attempt. He found himself sobbing hard, his salty tears were coming down in rivers. Despair gripped his heart so much that he failed to notice the new blip on his radar. The Strike Freedom halted behind the Infinite Justice.

"Athrun! Come in!" Kira shouted into his console, but Athrun seemed unresponsive. Kira could hear a faint sobbing noise.

"Please respond, this is Kira, Athrun!"

"I messed up." It was all Athrun could say, before his despair washed over him again.

"Let's get back to the hangar." Kira could relate to what Athrun was going through. Athrun remained speechless, but he followed Kira back to the underwater hangar.

In a few hours, they arrived. The Island split apart and they landed inside. Athrun had calmed down, but his eyes appeared distant. The underwater hangar also served as a makeshift base, it had all the necessary equipment to deal with mobile suit maintenance and also had rooms where pilots could rest. Kira led Athrun to one of the rooms. He sat Athrun down on the bed, Kira sat on a chair.

"Tell me." Kira looked sympathetically at Athrun.

He told him.

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ORB was in utter ruins. Wrecked mobile suits and war machines were scattered all over the capital. Bodies, thousands of them, littered the ground alongside scattered organs, dismembered limbs, and burnt remains. A section of the city was on fire. What remained of the survivors emerged from the war shelters to take stock at what happened. Most of them wept when they saw that the city had been reduced to rubble. Others swore to take revenge, but would not be given the chance. They would have to rebuild their lives again. They had been plunged into war before, and they had recovered. They would do so again, but this time, it would be harder.

When it seemed like the worst was over, they happened upon the downed Akatsuki. They noticed the damage that was done to it. Most of the survivors dropped to their knees upon witnessing the Akatsuki's destruction and wept hard. The faint of heart lost consciousness. They believed their leader had died. All was lost.

One of the survivors, a boy of twelve years old, could not understand the grief that was transpiring around him. His young adolescent mind was unburdened by adult concerns. He understood that the city was in ruins, but he knew everything would be okay. He even believed that the princess of ORB was still alive, because when conflict arrived, the first brave face he would see on the live broadcast was that of the princess. And each time, their troubles were always taken care of in a matter of months, sometimes days. He knew everything would turn out okay, his young mind told him so, and he believed it fiercely.

His sister, a girl eight years of age, stood beside him as they witnessed the destruction and chaos. She was crying, but she did her best to fight back her tears. She wanted to be brave like her elder brother, who always took care of her even when their parents were away. Both their mother and father were soldiers, and they had died defending ORB. The children had just been newly orphaned.

The remaining citizens of ORB began to move around and do some work. They knew it would be one hell of a job to bring ORB back to its previous state, but they would do it, and they would do so in the name of their believed to be deceased princess, Cagalli Yula Atha.

Cagalli's advisers and ORB's high ranking officials were holed up in a bunker not far from the capital. They were deciding what would be the best course of action.

They were left with very few options, but they would have to act soon.

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"Sir, we have the princess of ORB in custody." Jeethra proudly announced upon arriving at the Indomitable.

This was an unexpected thing, but it was certainly very welcomed news. Commander Apstone couldn't believe his ears. The Indomitable was hidden behind the Earth's moon, on its dark side. Every so often, as the moon orbited around the Earth, the ship would move again to remain hidden in the shadows. The strike group that went against ORB had returned with fewer numbers, but they had an unexpected price in return.

Jeethra and Kelmon had dismounted from their mobile suits, between them they supported Cagalli. The princess had lost a substantial amount of blood and was in need of a transfusion. She was barely conscious.

"Have you no common sense?! Take her to medlab ASAP. The lady is badly injured!" Jeethra ordered the crew who were standing around watching them. They contacted the medical staff and within moments, Cagalli was lifted onto a stretcher and wheeled into medical care.

"Jeeth, I think you need to go there yourself." A crewmember suggested, noticing the tourniquet on her thigh.

"That's lieutenant Constent to you! I'll stop by there soon enough."

She actually liked the princess, it was very unusual of her. Despite being shot by her, Jeethra admired the strength that Cagalli had shown her. She found something in common between them. She made a mental note to talk to the princess once she was better.

She winced as she sat down on one of the sitting areas in the hangar. Her thigh felt better, but the pain was still there, she would have to have it looked at by the doc. She lingered for a moment, then decided she would go to medlab. She started limping towards the exit when Kelmon reached for her arm and slung it over his shoulder, supporting her.

"Let me help you."

"Thanks."

"You know, you should look after yourself better."

"I don't need to be told what to do." Her tone was icy.

"Right, sorry ma'am." He was apologetic.

"..too many casualties.." Kelmon continued.

"Don't state the obvious."

"Akly was one of the good ones. He did his best."

"Don't I know it."

They mounted the elevator. In a few minutes, they stepped off and entered medlab. The doctor in duty had just finished his treatment on Cagalli. The princess was sleeping.

"How's our guest doc?" Jeethra asked,

"She's fine, nothing serious. Hmm.. looks like you got shot there." The doctor said as he noticed Jeethra's bloodied thigh.

"Have a look at it doc."

"Why I'm here.."

"Pardon me, but I need to go to my other duties." Kelmon interrupted.

"Go ahead. You're dismissed." Jeethra said, she hesitated for a bit, then added, "…and thanks."

"No problem."

Kelmon left. Jeethra glanced at Cagalli. She looked like she was having a troubled sleep. Jeethra wouldn't blame her, after all, ORB was nothing more but ruins, she beat the princess, and on top of it all, she managed to take her hostage. However, Jeethra felt a kinship with the princess. They were both women who worked hard, were very determined, and they were both tough. She felt like Cagalli was a sister she never had.

"Okay lieutenant, lie down on the bed please." The doctor said.

Jeethra complied. As the doctor tended to her wound, she wondered what would come out of all of this. Then the doctor's eyes flew wide open. He stiffened for a few seconds, then slowly, he slumped down, first on his knees, then he fell forward. Blood, dark red, pooled on the floor.

Cagalli was standing behind him, a scalpel, dripping with blood in one hand.


	7. The Plan

A/N: After a really long hiatus, I'm finally able to submit the next chapter..! R & R please, and be nice.

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They were both looking at each other, watching who would make the next move. The doctor was groaning in pain on the floor, he was still alive. As soon as Cagalli shifted her glance towards the doctor, Jeethra sprang into action. She wrestled the scalpel from the princess' hand, pushed her onto the bed and pointed a gun at her. Cagalli fell backwards onto the bed. She immediately sat up and stared at her captor defiantly.

"Don't move." Jeethra said coolly, her green eyes focused on Cagalli.

"Where am I?!" Cagalli demanded.

"The Indomitable, our mobile base, and you're my hostage."

They heard rushed footfalls outside the door. It slid open, and a handful of security personnel hurriedly entered.

"Lieutenant! We've been informed..." one of them inquired.

"I'm fine. Good response time boys, I'll tell the commander about your good performance."

Cagalli was seething. She clenched both her fists tight on the bed sheet.

"I demand to be freed at once!!" Cagalli shouted angrily.

"Shut your trap. We got you in our custody, so we can pretty much do what we like with you, so calm down. You are in no place to make demands." Jeethra smirked. Cagalli reddened with rage.

"What, you don't like it here?" Jeethra joked. She brushed aside stray strands of her snow white hair with her finger. She turned to the security guys.

"Alert any medical staff on break. The doc here has been stabbed."

The doctor was gasping with pain on the floor. He could barely talk. The security personnel helped him up and onto an unoccupied bed.

"So, you're pretty much screwed if you try anything again, princess." Jeethra put on her winning smile, she still pointed her pistol at the princess.

"Let's talk, just the two of us."

Cagalli stayed silent and just stared.

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Lacus stared out at the distant sky. Every time she wondered about Kira, her emotions would take over her and she would cry without ceasing. In the four years they have been together, she and Kira had grown to love each other deeply, marriage does indeed change people. Now, she couldn't bear to be separated from her one true love. She had become attached to him.

In the past, she wouldn't have behaved this way. She was a figure of power and stability, she had trained herself to hide her feelings completely. But then, she was only human, she could only go so far. When she had finally married Kira, it was like a huge burden had finally been lifted from her delicate shoulders. She could be herself without worrying. Kira had set her free, and for that she loved him deeply.

She was outside their house on the very table they had had tea. She was in light summer clothes. Apparently, ISIS-001 had weather which was very similar to Earth's. A cup of tea was in front of her, but she hadn't taken a sip, it was already cold. She reached for the teapot with trembling hands, she grasped the handle, but she could barely lift the pot. It fell and spilled hot tea all over the table. Lacus jumped back, knocking her chair over. She took a few clumsy steps back and tripped, she landed on her bum.

"..clumsy.." she muttered to herself.

She needed to be strong for him, she realized that. As she lingered on the grass, absentmindedly pulling blades of grass off their roots, she remembered the time when she had commandeered one of the Three Ships Alliance, The Eternal. She had been unshakeable. She recalled the countless battles she had fought alongside her comrades, the many times Kira and Athrun had deployed their mobile suits from the Eternal, and most importantly, Kira's victorious return from battle after battle. Perhaps living a life of seclusion had softened her. Her children demanded more of her time and energy these days. She had every right to acquire servants to help her in her daily routines, but Kira insisted they rough it with their new life together. At the moment, Lydrean and Kaele were having a blissful nap, Lacus envied her children's worriless slumber.

Maybe it was time to bring back the old Lacus, but then she had children to take care of now. Perhaps something could be arranged. She was in deep thought for a few moments, closing her eyes. And as she opened them, she knew what could be done.

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"Cagalli, I'm coming for you!"

She woke up with a start. She noticed that her bed was soaked in her sweat. After her treatment at the medlab, Cagalli was transferred to a cell. It was pretty cramped, but at least it was clean. She had dreamt about Athrun. In it, she was hanging precariously over a cliff, down below, she could see Jeethra and her comrades urging her to let go. Far away she could hear Athrun's voice, but it was faint, although she could tell he was screaming his lungs off. Her hands had gotten tired from supporting the weight of her entire body, eventually she couldn't hold on anymore and she fell. That was when she finally heard his voice clearly. As she sat up wide awake, she still felt the vertigo sensation of falling.

She was still sweating profusely. She wiped her brow with one hand, it came up soaked. She dried her hand and tidied up her hair. The moment she looked in the mirror, she could hardly recognize herself; she had dark rings under her eyes, they lacked the glow they used to have, and she looked fatigued. As a woman, she abhorred her current state, but there was hardly anything that could be done about the way she looked. She cleaned herself up as best she could, donned fresh clothes that were provided for 

her and ate some food that was stored in the cell. She sat down on her bed and recalled what had happened the few hours before she ended up in a cell. It was a very awkward talk with Jeethra…

"_Forget the fact that you're our prisoner for a moment princess. Let's just talk." Jeethra had said._

"…"

"_Look, we're just two girls in a world of wars. Set aside all that hate and anger for a moment, please, I really just wanna talk." Jeethra smiled as pleasantly as she could._

"_What you're asking me to do is impossible. You're out of your mind!" Cagalli was still seething._

"_Okay. Fine. If that's the case, then I'll do the talking." Jeethra looked disappointed, _

"_You see princess, although I know you won't appreciate it, I admire people like you."_

_Cagalli was taken aback, her expression softened, but she remained irate._

"_Strong women like you always inspire me to go beyond my limits." Jeethra continued._

"…_and we are the same in many ways. You and I are born in a world of extreme conflict, and yet we prevailed because of our strength of character."_

_Cagalli looked sternly at Jeethra. "What are you getting at?!"_

"_Well… you could say I want to be friends with you. I couldn't really say it in any other way. Women like us are pretty rare, and as they say, 'Birds of a feather, flock together.'"_

"_You expect me to be friends with my enemy?! You're insane!"_

"_Cagalli, you don't get it, do you? I'm not you're enemy, I never was."_

"_I don't believe you." Cagalli's expression softened even more, but she would not let her guard down._

"_At your current situation, I expect you not to. But know this, when we were ordered to lure out Athrun, we had been specifically told to eliminate any obstacles, even you, instead, I saw opportunity and saved you by taking you hostage. The commander has little use for you, save as bait for Athrun. He's letting you live solely for that purpose."_

"_You're tricking me. I know these tactics, you're trying to get to my good side and befriend me, only to stab me in the back when I'm not looking! It won't work, you witch!"_

_Jeethra looked hurt. Cagalli immediately regretted what she said._

"…_I.." Jeethra swallowed, then she turned around and left the cell._

_Cagalli swore she could hear Jeethra sobbing as she left in a hurry._

'Perhaps it was wrong to hurt her feelings like that.' Cagalli mused as she lay down on her bed. And yet, the fact remains that she was a prisoner, she couldn't possibly bend to whatever they were trying to do to her. She was comforted by the thought that Athrun was coming for her. She always knew that he would come to her rescue whenever she was in trouble. She just wished he would hurry.

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Commander Apstone was sitting behind his desk in the office near the ship's bridge. He was pleased that his 'daughter', Jeethra, had somehow managed to capture the ORB princess in one piece. This would fit with his plan to lure out Athrun seamlessly. A bait was definitely very enticing, especially if it was a bait of great importance, Athrun would no doubt try to rescue her, and most likely at the soonest possible time. Good, the commander knew that he didn't have much time left.

The commander's health was degrading fast. A few days ago, he had been able to walk from the bridge of his ship up to the tail end, but now, all he could manage was to take the bridge elevator, and even just that got him winded. It wouldn't surprise him if he would walk around with a cane. His face was almost unrecognizable, only his eyes remained sharp. The bags under his eyes were very dark, despite his best efforts to have enough sleep, his body would refuse to rejuvenate. It was obvious that his time is almost up. He half expected to pilot the Enduring Legacy even inside a mobile ICU unit, if it ever came to that. He would get what he wanted, even if it killed him.

Ultimately, he wanted ORB to be his, even for a few fleeting days, at least he would be remembered as one of the few who could conquer without fail. Besides wanting ORB, he also wanted to test himself against one of the greatest pilots who helped win the bloody valentine wars, Athrun Zala. If Kira would show himself, then all the better. He would take care of them both, then he would claim the title of greatest mobile suit pilot ever, he would be remembered for generations to come, and only then would he be able to die in peace without regrets.

There was a chime on the comlink, "Commander. The demonstration is ready, sir. Commencing on your command." An officer said.

"Proceed."

He stood up and faced the window of his office, it was made of reinforced 'steel glass', able to withstand the immense vacuum of space. Outside, a multitude of test robotic drones and a few mobile suits controlled by the operators in the bridge, took positions around a single jet black suit, it was the Enduring Legacy.

Time seemed to slow down as the Legacy began to move. Its eyes glowed a menacing red, its advanced phase shift armor activated. Compartments opened on both its arms, revealing a new type of beam weapon. The arms were now effectively melee weapons. Its turbines kicked in, and in a split second, it was able to reach one of the targets. It easily made scrap metal out of the first mobile suit as it flew towards its next target. Within less than thirty seconds, the space outside the Indomitable were full of exploding targets.

The comlink on the desk chimed for a second time.

"Phase one test, 'melee capability' complete. Beginning phase two."

As the explosions subsided, phase two began. The Legacy's arm concealed its arm beam blades, and reconfigured to reveal two cannons. More robotic drones and mobile suits were again positioned around the Legacy. It took the targeting system of the Legacy less than two seconds to lock in, then both cannons fired shells simultaneously. The shells break apart in mid-launch and scatter highly explosive, high speed munitions that tracked locked in targets, and attached themselves as they got within range. The simultaneous explosions were deafening. Not even scraps were left behind, as the targets were reduced to tiny bits.

"Phase two, 'ranged capability' complete. Beginning last phase."

The Legacy again concealed its weaponry. This time, it stood still in the icy vacuum of space. A few mobile suits launched from the Indomitable armed with heavy artillery. This time, they were piloted by human beings.

"Commence artillery barrage in three…two…one."

The mobile suits opened fire at the Legacy, but as the missiles and the beams reached the suit, a force orb formed around it and refracted the beams, as well as causing the missiles to bounce off and explode off target.

"Commence melee attack."

The mobile suits took out their beam sabers and charged. As they try to hit the Legacy, their strikes would simply bounce or slide off the force orb. Commander Apstone was impressed.

"Well done boys. Okay let's wrap this up.."

The comlink cut in. "There's more sir."

"Okay. Show me."

"Activate defensive shockwave."

Compartments opened on the chest, legs, and back of the Legacy. A shockwave blasted from the suit, rendering the mobile suits surrounding it useless. It was an EMP shockwave emitted at an incredibly high frequency. The commander was speechless.

"We're still developing one more weapon sir. It wouldn't take long for the R & D guys to finally fit the last components in."

"Excellent work, simply excellent! Keep me informed of the progress."

"Yes sir."

Commander Apstone would have his cake, oh yes he would, and he'd eat it too. It was only a matter of time.


End file.
